Last month, Tribal Leaders from throughout the country gathered together in Washington, DC to attend the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit hosted by the Department of the Interior. The summit was the second one held by the Biden Administration and the first one held in-person in six years.
Interior Alaska Leadership held a strong presence at the event, with over half of interior tribes represented. The summit provided the opportunity for Tribal leaders to engage with members of the Biden-Harris administration to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships and discuss issues facing Tribal communities.
This year’s summit included presentations from President Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and Secretary Deb Haaland. It also included panel discussions with representatives from the Department of Education, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, the White House Climate Policy Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.
Each day ended with an engagement session, where tribal leaders were able to engage with government officials, ask questions and seek support for issues impacting their communities. TCC leadership spoke on important issues impacting our Tribes including the Salmon decline on the Yukon River, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Elder Housing, and health appropriations among other priorities for the TCC region.
“I am glad that the Biden Administration brought back this event so that we can continue to have meaningful government-to-government consultations,” said Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley, “It was amazing to see so many Interior Tribes represented and speaking out on behalf of their communities.”
